UGC NET candidates in Tiruchy blame delays in reaching centres due to lack of transport

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The UGC NET exam was conducted in eight locations in Tiruchy

Candidates who came to write the National Eligibility Test (NET) on Sunday complained the exam centres were located too far away and not differently-abled-friendly. The UGC NET exam was conducted in eight locations in Tiruchy.

One venue was Sri Vageesha Vidhyashram Senior Secondary School situated on Melur road. Candidates had been told to come to the respective centres between 7 am and 9.30 am. However, many candidates reached the venue late as they claimed bus services were limited.

M Ponneelan (27), who came all the way from Mannargudi, was left in the lurch as he could not find any bus to reach the centre. “I travelled in four buses to reach Chatiram Bus Stand and took another to reach Srirangam. After that, I could not find any bus going to Melur. I ended up arriving late and despite trying to convince exam authorities, they did not let me enter the centre.”

Candidates from the central districts had chosen Tiruchy as their preferred centre as they believed they would reach the city faster. However, limited bus services belied their hopes and many candidates were seen trying to convince security personnel to let them into the exam centre. Though many admitted they had reached late, all said the limited transport services in the Melur to Tiruchy stretch were to blame. Only those who could afford to come on autorickshaws or two-wheelers reached the centre in time.

Meanwhile, differently-abled candidates had reason to complain as they were allotted exam halls on the first and second floors. P Rathinam (35), a differently-abled candidate from Viralimalai, said, “Despite selecting the differently-abled category when filling up online forms, I was allotted a hall on the second floor. There were no ramps or lifts at the exam centre.” M Kamaraj said differently-abled candidates appear to had been deemed ineligible to receive facilities on par with others in competitive examinations. Kamaraj was allotted a hall on the first floor of KAP Viswanathan Higher Secondary School.